The Margin is Where the Thinking Happens

The Reader’s Edge | Charlie Samways | April 5, 2026

Every great reader I have come across has one thing in common. They don’t just read books, they wrestle with them.

If I ever take the effort to engage with a book through annotation, making notes, or highlighting, I always remember the content more than in books I have done none of those things.

Psychologist Stanislas Dehaene’s work on reading found that the simple act of annotation, even if it’s just highlighting, forces the brain to decide what matters. From these decisions, memories are formed. Without these interactions, no such moments are generated.

This can be applied beyond reading. Whenever you find something particularly interesting – a podcast, a lecture, a TV series – engage with the material actively. The best action you can take is to go beyond the initial intake of information.

Vladimir Nabokov put it better than I can:

"Curiously enough, one cannot read a book: one can only reread it."

A first pass is mostly decoding. Real reading, the kind that changes how you think, begins when you're engaged enough to return.

The Adoption Method

The best way I know to go deeper with books is the adoption method. Some books don’t just get read; they also become a part of you. Atomic Habits has just done this to me. I am now at the stage of finalising my notes and takeaways, having just finished the book.

The idea is simple: when you find a book capable of filling the gap between who you are and who you want to be, let it stay with you. Rather than racing to finish these books, slow down and really let the ideas settle. Annotate, make notes, and re-read sections. When you know what ideas you want to take forward, you’re starting on the path to adoption.

The next stage of adoption is to set a review point in the future. Add it to your calendar to help you really commit to this. You’re not just reading this book; you’re looking to live with it.

The adoption method only works if you're reading books worth arguing with. Which brings me to this week's question.

This Week’s Question

When did you last genuinely argue with a book, and what happened when you did?

Reply to me at hello@charliesamways.com. I read every one.

From The Channel This Week

Both videos this week are about the same thing. The tools that make active reading possible on Kindle. If this newsletter resonated, these are worth your time.

10 Kindle Scribe Tips I Wish I'd Known Sooner

Stop Ignoring These Kindle Features

Wishing you a week of success and finding those books which will make an impact on you.

Catch up next week,

Charlie Samways